Plants and animals utterly confused by climate change

Lauren Kolesinskas is an amazing illustrator who, as she says, enjoys making normal things look weird. She has created an illustration for a New York Times article describing five plants and animals that are confused by climate change. Her illustration captures the mismatches that happen as climate change changes the timing of when flowers bloom, caterpillars emerge, and animals arrive to pollinate and feed on them.

An orchid’s sex life turns bleak; spring comes early but the flycatcher doesn’t; birds and tractors get too close for comfort; caribou show up late for lunch; and the snowshoe hare has a wardrobe malfunction… all these mismatches are beautifully illustrated in Lauren’s drawing. Unfortunately for these plants and animals, the mismatches in timing are leading to population decline and do not bode well for their future.